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جمعرات, دسمبر 27, 2012

What is behind Russian arms deal

Russia's President Vladimir Putin visited India. As a result of this visit, an agreement was signed, according to which, India is going to purchase a $2.9 billion worth amount of Russian weapons.
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The highlight of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to India
was his signing of $2.9 billion in arms deals on Monday, for the sale of
71 military helicopters and kits for 42 fighter jets to India. The
order for the Mi-17 helicopters, which was originally 59 when the deal
was made in 2010, has been increased to 71. The provision of arms shows
that Russia is trying the same means to retain India on its side as the
USA has used to win it over from the former USSR, by selling it more
arms. Both countries are continuing their squabble over India’s
friendship, irrespective of the use to which it is putting the arms it
is acquiring. India has played the USA off against the USSR to acquire
arms which go far beyond its legitimate defence needs. It abandoned the
USSR, until the end of the Cold War, its greatest arms supplier, and
President Putin’s visit is meant to retain as much of these ties as can
be done. That is probably one reason that one of the items on Putin’s
agenda will be the Russian-built Kundankulam nuclear power plant in
Tamil Nadu state, which will be India’s largest when completed. This is
also something the USA has worked on, giving its own nuclear power
industry a helping hand by granting India a civilian nuclear accord.

India borders or is situated in proximity with many
countries, but it would be wrong to say that it has good relations with
all of them. Mainly, this considers China and Pakistan. Bangladesh is
still viewed by many analysts as one of the world’s largest hotbeds of
terrorism. India’s relations with Nepal are also not always good,
because in contradictions between India and China, Nepal often takes
China’s side.

India’s economy is still developing, and India’s foreign
policy, to a large extent, would depend on the degree of the
development of its economy.

One of the main spheres
of India’s interests is the Pacific Ocean. After all, the largest part
of India’s borders – about 7,000 kms – is its Pacific coast.

Until recent, India has paid more attention to land
weapons than to the navy. The majority of weapons that it purchased from
the Soviet Union or produced itself were land weapons. At present,
India still produces and buys land weapons, but it has started to pay
more attention to its navy.

India is responsible for the entire territory from the Suez Canal to
Singapore, where the UK once was the only master”, because India doesn’t
seem to have rejected this slogan so far. More evidence that India’s
military program is not as “peaceful” as its authorities are trying to
depict is the fact that India is actively developing nuclear energy.

Russia also has interests of its own in the Asia-Pacific region, and its
main interest there is stability and peaceful development. For this,
Russia is actively cooperating with India in many spheres, including the
military one. Russia is insisting that India, under certain conditions,
should be granted the status of a permanent member of the UN Security
Council.

Both Russia and the USA are not just pampering India with
preferential treatment, but thus prompting it to throw its weight around
the region. There is also a direct effect on Kashmir, as the USA and
Russia, because of the commercial interests developed and their own
actions, display sympathy to the Indian arguments against the freedom of
the Kashmiri people, especially in the UN. This makes it imperative
that the latest example of Indian aggressive designs is brought to UN
notice. This is something Pakistan should be doing, but it seems unable
to find the time, which it is spending in giving India Most Favoured
Nation status, a step it has taken at the cost of the possible
destruction of its commerce and industry, in complete disregard of its
own interests.

It is unfortunate that the government has so far not taken action, even
though there has been an increase of ties with Russia. However, there
has been a signal failure in that President Putin did not visit Pakistan
for the Trilateral Summit, precisely because India objected. Our
diplomats are showing incompetence because they cannot properly handle
relationships with the USA, India or Russia.
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